James City County has created a new website and newsletter to promote activities and information about the 2045 comprehensive plan.
“Engage 2045” is an online location where residents can learn information about the comprehensive plan and how to submit their feedback.
According to the website, the initiative is a “critical opportunity” to change and shape the county’s future. One of the goals is to encourage residents to take part in “real action” in the planning process that will result in the policies that will build the community over the next 25 years.
Building the comprehensive plan will focus on educating residents and learning locals’ opinions in order to make informed choices about the future of the locality.
The process will be facilitated by county leaders who want to hear from the public. Through Engage 2045, the county is hoping to start thoughtful conversations that will impact the future of the county through a medium that can be accessed by all.
Throughout the discussions, opinions and ideas will be considered and documented in order to form community support that will be the “foundation for policy direction.”
The county this year started phase one of the planning process which is described as “laying the foundation.”
The next year will see the completion of three more phases that will bring the planning process through scenario and model building, alternative futures, and affirming the direction. By 2021, the county will begin the final phase: implementation.
During that time, community engagement will also be undergoing a series of phases.
Between 2019 and 2020, engagement will involve listening and envisioning with the public. This means residents will learn about the plan the contribute their input for the county’s long-range vision for the future.
The following year will engage residents through exploring and testing various alternate scenarios for the county’s future followed by evaluating the different aspects of each alternative scenario to look toward the future.
The final year will engage the community through the implementation process by building the elements designed in the comprehensive plan.
During the next few years, the county plans to host a variety of engagement activities such as public meetings and website updates.
“The process as a whole is designed to live up to its name and to actively ‘engage’ the county’s citizens in planning for its future,” according to the website.
For more information, visit James City County online.
